Sharp as an axe!

Axes, Hatchets And Tomahawks get the work done fast!

Whether using them around the Homestead or On the Trail or Off the Grid, these tools make fast work of more projects than you think.

Abraham Lincoln said, Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. That comment is more about being prepared than it is about the axe and today’s modern equipment is incredible!

Samuel Funt over at Survival Mastery did a review of Axes, Hatchets And Tomahawks for Survival and looked at the new technology, material, uses, ruggedness and more.

They start with the basic models and progress up into the highest quality and price models.

Best Survival Axe: The Most Looked-for Axes, Hatchets And Tomahawks

Axes and hatchets are far more efficient and useful in the wilderness. You can achieve much more with them in comparison with survival knives, for example. They can be used to chop wood, to speed up the game preparation, to hunt, etc. It has been scientifically proven that pre-historic humanoids who used axes and hatchets were more advanced and had better hunting skills, in comparison to those who used knives only. After all, as an active survivalist, hiker or trekker you need to be aware that axes, hatchets, and tomahawks can bring you far ahead your enemies and give you an advantage when it comes to hunting.

Here we’ve compiled a list of the best survival axes and hatchets you can find currently available on the market. They will help you in any emergency situation when you need to break some wooden pieces after a tornado or chop wood or logs during your journey into the wild. In whichever situation you find yourself, the axe will be an invaluable item in your inventory.

List of the best survival axes available on the market

SOG Base camp axes

This axe could be seen as an average product with average performance. It’s not very heavy and also, not as large as most truly reliable axes. It’s a definitely more economical choice, and can even be taken along to a hiking expedition (hence the name ‘Base camp’). It weighs 2 pounds and 1 ounce and isn’t very long. The head top is flattened so that you can switch from an axe to a hammer with a single flip of the axe. Some customers find the edge a bit blunt even right out of the box and believe it needs substantial sharpening to deliver the best results. According to them, when they tried to chop some wood at the beginning, the edge gets stuck in the wooden piece, halfway through. The explanation could be because the head is slightly thicker for an axe, and it stops along the wooden piece’s length. The head is forged as a ‘cutout’ so that it minimizes the friction, thus making it easier to chop heavy objects like wood or bone. One of the greatest features, much appreciated among customers, is the rubber handle, which provides truly reliable grip and gives a feeling of stability in your hand. The axe couldn’t slip from your grip even if it’s wet or rainy. The handle is also comfortably curved so that your grip remains firm. Nonetheless, if you don’t need some incredible axe with great performance and have never owned an axe or tomahawk before, this SOG Base camp axe could be your best choice. It will get you used to the axe and you will also learn in your tempo to chop and cut thicker pieces or material.

Snow and Nealley Hudson Bay axe

This is a nice piece of axe, made of high carbon steel produced in China, with a hickory handle from Tennessee. The product is a hybrid combination between an axe and a tomahawk. The way this Snow and Nealley axe is a bit better than the above is the weight. It weighs about 1 pound and 12 ounces, which could put it in a backpacking category and can quite successfully be used to chop branches for starting a fire, skin an animal or chop bone. You won’t be able to fell trees of course, unless they are young and thin. ……….

Estwing E24A Hatchet

Here’s an axe made entirely in the USA. Only the axe’s sheath is made in Taiwan, but that has nothing to do with the performance and quality of the axe itself. This axe-like hatchet resembles very much the above S&N axe, but is far more durable and long-lasting. Its light (1 pound and 12 ounces) and yet sturdy little piece of metal axe. The head and handle are forged in one thus the head can’t break and be off the handle. The truth is that for the price you pay to own this axe, you can actually expect little. The reality is the opposite – you get even more than you get with the above two axes. ……….

Cold Steel Trail Boss Hickory-handle axe

While this axe boasts a European style and look, it’s made (unfortunate for most customers) in China. This doesn’t make it necessarily useless and unreliable, but some people may question its stability and ruggedness. It has a carbon steel head and the handle is made of an American hickory. In comparison to the above axes this one is quite a weighty piece with its 2 pounds and 10 ounces. It’s 23 inches long and the cutting edge is nearly 5 inches. ……….

SOG Tactical Tomahawk

This tomahawk is an upgrade to the above axes, since it’s a perfect working axe and also a reliable weapon (either for defense or attack). It’s an improved model of the Vietnam Tomahawk, which even to this day is a reliable military and soldier inventory item. No part of this axe is wooden, so there’s no risk for breaking the handle. The head is made of 420 stainless steel and is attached to the fiberglass nylon handle, with bolts and steel ferrule for even better stability and reliability. The tomahawk is almost 16 inches long and is relatively slim compared to some of the above axes. It’s ideal for harsher handling like breaching doors, throwing, chopping, hacking and even digging. It’s a hard-core item for those survivalists expecting harsher conditions or environment (including face-to-face meeting with aggressive animals) ………..

Gerber Gator Combo Axe

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Kershaw Camp Axe

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Browning 231 Outdoorsman Axe

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Gränsfors Bruks Wildlife Axe

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The list above introduces you gradually to higher and higher quality axes, to give you the option to decide for yourself how much money you’re ready to spend on an axe, and also, determine if you need it regularly, or only once in a while. For whichever purpose you need an axe, you can find a suitable one from the list above.